As It Seems
by Chrys-DASL
Summary: Muffy Crosswire has a serious crush on Buster Baxter, now one of the hottest guys in Elwood City High. Muffy desperately wants to be with him, and as the alpha female of sorts, she knows she deserves him. So when Fern swoops in and tries to steal her man, Muffy acts. Can the two soul mates end up together? T for adult situations. Two-shot.
1. Chapter 1

_**As It Seems**_

_Theme 187: Ended Friendship_

A/N: This is a two-shot but I'm going to post both parts in this one chapter. Enjoy the piece:)

_**Part One: FUBARed**_

Elwood City High was bustling with activity as Muffy Crosswire stepped out of her family's shiny limousine. She adjusted her designer duds as she looked over the campus. She slipped on a pair of expensive sunglasses as she began her walk towards the front entrance, a knowing smile on her lips.

All around her, teens were going about their normal before-class business. Band geeks were rushing to deposit instruments in the band room, a few of the smaller ones struggling to get past some large jocks standing near the door. Across the hall, cheerleaders were easily going in and out of their locker room, depositing their gear bags and picking up a newsletter from their coach. The coach was eying a young assistant principal standing at the entrance of the cafeteria, a soft smile on her lips. Muffy grinned as well. Those two had been sleeping together for months, years maybe, and no one knew except her.

Knowledge was power in this bustling landscape. As Muffy moved through the cafeteria and into the small courtyard where her friends usually gathered, she eyed the crowd seated inside. Binky, Rattles, Molly, Slink, and a few others sat crowded around a table, Molly's ears plugged with headphones as the boys had an intense conversation around her. Muffy didn't know her secrets, but she knew Binky had been crushing on her for way too long, and in Muffy's eyes, neither were deserving of a relationship, not until she got who she wanted.

As she entered the courtyard, she saw him: Buster Baxter. He'd grown tall since childhood, towering over Arthur and Alex as he spoke to them, probably explaining the latest video game. He had every new system and all the greatest games, but it was his looks that first caught Muffy's attention. Just seeing him made her blush and her steps skip a little as she walked along. She didn't mind the video game conversations because they told her the second thing she needed to know in order to fall madly in love with him: Having all those new systems meant he had money and lots of it. She researched the subject when the first waves hit her—the blushing, the dreams, and the constant thoughts—and when she realized how expensive those games were, her heart pounded like a stampede of wild animals, each of them eager to steal Buster away from all the other girls.

Muffy was determined to do this. Buster hadn't exactly fell for anyone yet, but plenty of girls had fallen for him. Cheerleaders, band geeks, bookworms—every single social group in school had one girl or guy who was dying to be with the stud muffin that was Buster Baxter. Muffy knew everything thanks to her best friend, Cassandra Michaels. Everyone who was anyone called her Cassie, but Muffy had the sole right to call her just plain Cass. As she approached the young blonde, she did just that.

"Good morning, Cass. Did you see the latest gossip article?" Muffy greeted. Cassandra grinned, turning around. She was talking to a young man, a senior with sleek black hair. Muffy was stunned. She didn't recall seeing this guy before, and she would _definitely_ know because he was g.o.r.g.e.o.u.s.! "Well, who's this?" Muffy blushed.

"Don't kid yourself, Crosswire. This is Mitchell. He's a new senior transferring from some place. He was just telling me when you interrupted, you little diva, but I'm sure he won't mind repeating himself," Cassandra smiled, turning back to him, "Will you, Mitch?"

"It's Mitchell, and I already told you I just got kicked out of military school for being too bad ass," he sneered. Muffy stepped back. This was NOT the guy for her, not in a million years. What made Buster so great is that he had no idea he was so gorgeous. He wasn't full of himself like Mr. Military School, and he definitely wouldn't try to upstage Muffy with his dashing good looks. No, Mitchell was Cass's problem, and Muffy was happy to join her second best friend, Jasmine Smith.

Jasmine was a red-headed junior who was really into makeup and hair. Her best friend from preschool was Catherine Thompson, a fellow makeup artist in training. The two were comparing techniques on their smart devices when Muffy sat with them, glancing over at Buster as the two girls babbled about their art form. Muffy drowned them out. She had more important things on her mind, and as she looked across the courtyard, said important thing entered the field.

Fern Walters was her biggest competition. Once mousy, invisible, and just all-out pathetic, Fern was now a confident bombshell after a bad freshman year breakup. Now, she was just as powerful as Muffy and any of the other divas, and her intelligence and kind personality gave her the upper hand. She didn't need petty gossip to get ahead, and while Muffy's attempts to infiltrate the Arthur/Buster strong friend group, Fern waltzed right in, and it made Muffy _furious_. Buster was HERS, not anyone else's, Fern in particular.

"Whoa, you've got a sick look on your face, Muffy. Is everything okay?" Jasmine asked. Muffy nodded curtly, glaring at Fern across the yard. She was sitting directly in front of Buster now, looking up at him with glazed over eyes. She certainly had it bad for Buster just like all the others, and Muffy couldn't stand for this, not for a moment.

"I know what she's looking at," Catherine grinned. "She's looking at that gamer kid again. You know he eats like a pig, right? How could you ever put up with that?"

"Yeah, I mean does he even know what a calorie is?" Jasmine laughed darkly. Catherine joined in but Muffy remained quiet. She grew up with Buster. She'd sat right next to him in elementary school while he shoveled spoonfuls of unrecognizable contents into his mouth. Despite maintaining this habit into his teen years, he was still as fit as the athletic boys, if not even more fit.

Muffy composed herself, "Well, maybe I want to be with someone who isn't afraid to try new things. He's always experimenting, just like you two. Would you really want to put down a fellow artist?" she asked darkly. Jasmine grinned but shook her head. Catherine's grin was even larger, but she too shook her head. Muffy nodded with a hint of satisfaction as the bell rang above. These girls might be older, but she controlled them, and that control is what she needed if she ever wanted to win over Buster.

But as the bell rang overhead and the teens began following each other to their designated classrooms, Muffy noticed someone in the distance, another figure from her elementary school days. This person was someone Muffy was hoping to forget. They'd been friends once, but now, they were sworn enemies. And as Muffy walked past, this enemy looked in the opposite direction completely, not out of anger but out of pure fear.

It was Muffy that kept Arthur and Francine apart. Francine never forgave her for her acts even though they were ancient history. Muffy honestly didn't know why she was so mad. She was too sporty for him, always putting him down. So Muffy told Alex to tell Arthur that Francine had hit one of her fellow teammates in a game and she didn't get in trouble because the coach was afraid of her. The boys didn't believe the story, so Muffy worked her magic with an acquaintance who wrote stories for the school newspaper. A fake article was posted on the school's website, but it had undesired effects. Everyone now thought Francine was a brute on the field and off, and an untimely outburst shortly before the article's appearance helped nothing. Her reputation was tainted. When it came out days later that Francine had a crush on Arthur, Arthur made it known that he wanted nothing to do with her, and that if she ever asked him, he'd tell her NO as loudly as he could.

And that was exactly what happened. The story was retracted, so Francine thought it'd be safe to approach. Muffy's seeds had been planted and her garden had grown. Now she was harvesting the rewards as Francine ran through the Grebe Middle School lunchroom sobbing like a preschooler. Muffy's plan had _worked_.

Francine passed without incident, and Muffy soon arrived at her first class. In this class was Maria, another former classmate with a wicked crush on Buster. She was a writer now like Fern, and both were on the school paper together, as well as in Elwood City High's Creative Writing Club. They weren't necessarily close friends. Maria was close with Jenna until she became some big-shot badminton star and moved away, so now she was a loner drifting between groups. Fern was close with Sue Ellen still, and since Sue Ellen befriended every kind of foreigner or exchange student that walked the halls, they had a well-defined yet exotic friend circle. Each group had their own activities, so despite their similarities, they rarely crossed paths. It was this fact that made Muffy want to use Maria in her battle for Buster.

As class began, the students were asked to find a partner for a group assignment. Muffy quickly claimed Maria, sitting next to her with a soft smile. Muffy was the daughter of a salesman. She knew exactly how to approach Maria to keep her from suspecting anything peculiar was going on, and as their work began, Muffy started working her magic gradually.

"I don't know about number three. I was thinking it was more B than C, but you're probably smarter than me. I bet you're smarter than Fern too," Muffy grinned. Maria gave her a perplexed look as she shrugged, erasing her circle around C and putting another around B. Muffy shifted in her seat, "I was just thinking that because I heard her talking about Arthur the other day. I mean, those guys accepted her as a friend, and here she was telling one of his darkest secrets to someone she barely even knew!" Muffy gasped. "Isn't that just terrible?" she exclaimed.

"I doubt Fern would do such a thing. What would she even know about Arthur anyway, and it's not like she'd have anything to gain from it? I think you misheard her. Maybe she was talking about Arthur Fitzpatrick, the other guy on our paper, and it might've been his story, not a true secret," Maria countered.

'Darn, she's really good at avoiding me!' Muffy thought, shifting a little, "Well, I know what I heard. Are you sure you really know her? I mean, there was this one time in middle school when she plagiarized a story from Ladonna."

Maria scoffed, "It was the other way around. We all know Ladonna was such a fake journalist. She could only do creative writing, not professional writing. And before you ask, yes, they are different. Ladonna didn't realize we weren't just making stuff up," Maria said quickly, trying to work on the next problem.

But Muffy was determined, "That's not how I heard it. I mean, I know you've been doing this for a while, but I only know what people have told me, and they had solid evidence. Do you think a Crosswire would tell you something if they hadn't researched it first? My daddy sells cars for a living, and if he doesn't do his research, someone could get hurt. Just last week, he decided not to sell a car to a nice family because a mechanic friend of his said the company might be issuing recalls. Blam! It was in the news this morning. He probably saved their lives!" he gasped.

"Well that's cars, Muffy. This is people's lives. Now, are you actually going to work on this stuff? If you're not going to then I want to work by myself," Maria said firmly.

Muffy sighed and kept working. Maria was only one person who knew Fern. There had to be others she could persuade to spread poor rumors about her. Fern's entire life story was filled with such rumors popping up everywhere, from elementary school on. The Ladonna scandal was just one benchmark, and with the hick back in her own world now, Muffy didn't have to worry about her. Muffy only had to worry about herself, as well as any female looking to get in her way to Buster. Right now, that person was Fern, and Muffy just had to find the right connection.

A few classes later, she knew she'd have the opportunity. Clara Marshall was a freshman journalist who was very eager to please. She looked for stories everywhere, specifically 'human interest' stories. Muffy knew this Clara might be the person to spread the word about Fern's ill deeds whether they were true or not. As Muffy had learned in the past, the details only matter once you need them, so you might as well say what you can while people are listening and worry about the rest later.

So Muffy sat next to Clara, who was eagerly discussing an upcoming journalist meeting or something. Muffy could barely get the brace-faced girl's attention, agitating her. She was thinking poor thoughts as Clara finally turned to notice her. She smiled to Muffy...and immediately began questioning her about her fashion friends.

"Yeah, I'm sure they'll talk to you. Can I ask you something about Fern?" Muffy asked. Clara was taken aback but nodded. "Well," Muffy began, a devious grin forming on her lips before she could even control it, "I was wondering how she was doing. I heard she said some pretty unkind things to someone earlier and that she was really upset."

"Who would provoke her? She's seriously like the nicest person I've ever met, so I doubt anyone would confront her on anything. Doesn't she sit with that hot guy in the mornings?" Clara asked with a dreamy expression.

"I have no idea," Muffy said through gritted teeth. 'Great, someone else with a crush on Buster,' she thought, growling in her head. She cleared her throat, "All I know is someone told me Fern said really mean words to someone, and they assumed she must've been confronted by someone. Otherwise, she would've said mean things to just be saying them. Either way, she must be upset, so I was concerned for her."

"Well I think a girl like Fern can handle herself. You probably got her mixed up with someone else, or at least your contact did. Just talk to Jasmine and Catherine for me, okay? Keep your drama to yourself," Clara said sternly. Before Muffy could protest, the teacher began class, starting with a wicked pop quiz that threw Muffy for a loop. Her mind was elsewhere and it would definitely show in her grades, not that Muffy cared about those. Popularity, money, boyfriends—these were Muffy's sole concerns. And people like Clara should just let her keep this power and stop questioning her.

Muffy was in a foul mood, and she was eager for lunch. Bailey had packed a delectable sandwich made with some of the finest ingredients available in Elwood City. They were works of art that always made the other students jealous, and Muffy couldn't wait to sit there with her friends, eating her delicious lunch and exchanging the day's gossip with friends.

As she entered the room and moved towards her favorite table, she noticed Cassandra was already there with Mitchell and some other guys. She pulled away from them immediately, greeting Muffy before she could even sit down. Cassandra has an almost sick look on her face and she seemed to be having trouble speaking...

But she didn't have to say a word. Muffy looked up and saw the two sitting side beside, hand in hand. Fern and Buster weren't just hanging out anymore. They were a couple, and judging by her morning's efforts, Muffy would not be successful combating this nemesis, not without some serious firepower.


	2. Chapter 2

_**Part Two: Down and Dirty**_

Muffy Crosswire sat in her cavernous bedroom, her eyes focused on her computer screen. She'd contemplated her options since learning her beloved had been stolen from her by that hussy known as Fern Walters. Muffy had no idea why this girl was so good for him. She might've gained confidence after her freshman year breakup, but that was no good reason for Buster to fall for her. She was still too quiet, too mousy, too bookish—far too everything to justify a stud like him being with a future housewife like her. Muffy was going to make something of herself, and she desperately needed a man like Buster at her side.

She moved through social media profiles trying to find a story she could use against Fern. All she could find were praises from friends, people who'd encountered her because of her journalism and good deeds. Clara, the human interest story freshman, was right to pick Fern for her mentor. The two had similar tastes in stories, and they were really a lot alike. Using this logic, Muffy went to Clara's pages to learn more about her. What she found shocked her: Fern's ex was her current love interest.

Fern's ex was now a senior gliding through the halls with women at his tail. He wasn't necessarily handsome, but he was very charismatic. Rumor had it that he'd taken the virginity of half the school, and some of the darkest tidbits mentioned teacher-student affairs between him and multiple female teachers, though none of those had been confirmed. He'd dated more girls than any other guy in school, smashing through group boundaries to corrupt girls throughout Elwood City.

Fern was one of his firsts. She entered his life during a science class that he was repeating, and she instantly fell for him. She was quiet and shy, but a guy like him noticed when a girl was hot for him. He went after her, making his move and inviting her to a boy-girl dance the school was hosting before their annual fall festival. Fern said yes, and soon the two were dating.

But he was notorious for dating more than one girl at once. He was already with Holly Holbrook, a junior at George Washington High School across town. Holly was a cheerleader, gorgeous and fashionable. She was the kind of girl all the guys wanted, but she chose Him. And when she found out she wasn't alone, Fern was forced through the ringer. Accusations of cheating hit _her_, not him, and Fern was petrified. When everything happened, Muffy was sure this would break her, send her to the asylum for being made a fool.

Holly was the real fool. Fern's journalism instincts kicked in, and she investigated the boy's phone. She discovered a third girl, as well as time-stamped proof that Holly was actually the second girl: He'd asked Fern out merely three hours before Holly, making Holly the other woman.

Then Fern did what no one expected: She threatened to release one of Holly's secrets to the entire district. Her spot as top cheerleader and a future scholar rested on that information, and she easily told the girl she could have him. Fern wanted nothing to do with them, but she wasn't going to be made a fool. She remained strong, dumping him publicly at lunch. Ever since, her head was higher, but Muffy knew there had to be a weakness. Clara and her ex were that weakness.

Muffy posted anonymously on Clara's page: _OMG you little whore! Trying to walk in your mentor's footsteps. You must not know she still has feelings for him. She might never help you ever again. Tsk, tsk, little whore! Someone needs a spanking ;)_

Muffy posted the item and sat back. Clara almost immediately posted on her own page trying to figure out who the anonymous figure was. She would get no response from Muffy, not yet at least. Muffy sat back, sipping expensive and exotic fruit juice while waiting for some kind of backlash. When she saw Fern's avatar appear next to a message, she knew she'd set the right bait...

Or so she thought. Fern was smug: _I know exactly who posted that. You have no idea what you're talking about, Muffy. Why don't you stop being so damn jealous over something you were __never__ going to have?_

Muffy was furious. For one, how in the world would Fern know it was her? She'd been careful not to tell a soul about her exploits, and she doubted some of her targets would ask the girl about her claims. People trusted Muffy, and they looked up to her far more than pathetic little Fernie. Muffy fired back: _You have no idea who I am, you little wretch! I'm telling the truth. You still have feelings for him, and now you're using Clara to get him back and hurt Buster. If you like him so much, why are you trying to hurt him?_

Fern immediately replied, _No, __you're__ the one trying to hurt people. I won't stand for it either. I know it's you, Muffy, and I have __**PROOF**__. Care to see it?_

Muffy scoffed, _You have nothing, you stupid mouse!_

But Muffy was oh so wrong. In seconds, Fern made a post on her own social media page. She'd put together a story about the day's events. Every person Muffy had contacted in an attempt to spread rumors about Fern had come forward, including Clara. They all told Fern that Muffy was after her for some reason, that she was asking deplorable questions about things that had never—and would never—happen. Fern's friend basis was huge, and as the story took effect, this was never more clear:

**Francine F.**

omfg, she's _still_ trying to start shit? wtf, Muffy? You're so full of yourself.

**Arthur R.**

Wow, I knew you were conniving, but I didn't know you were this bad. Why can't you just leave people alone?

**Maria**

I knew what she was up to this morning wasn't right. I'm so glad I told you, Fern, and if you want to file a report with the school, I don't mind being your witness. Muffy shouldn't be slandering people the way she does, and since this isn't the first time, I know the administration will do something.

**Jasmine S.**

omg, Muffy. You've really lost it this time. I mean he's like ONE GUY, and you're like hot and stuff. Why would you do this to somebody? Now he'll never date you AND you could get in trouble. Maria's right—you've done this before and the administration won't just take your money and like forget this ever happened. No, you have to pay for bullying. That's what this is, you know, and I hear it's _illegal_. Think about that before you respond to this.

BTW, you're officially uninvited from all of my events and I NEVER want to speak to again.

Muffy was stunned. How could so many people, including her best friends, claim she was a bully? She was playing the game, trying to keep alive in a troubling world. How was that any different than real life? People lied, connived, and did anything they could to get ahead. That's all Muffy was doing now, but people were going after her for it. It made no sense, and because of the nature of the article, Muffy felt like _she_ was the real victim, not Fern.

Muffy contacted her mother, who was friends with one of the school board members. Muffy would take her matter to them and find a way to get Fern expelled, or at least discredited for what she did. No one posts such a thing about Muffy Crosswire and gets away with it. She couldn't prove any of those people had actually talked to Muffy, and it was their word against hers. They couldn't prove anything.

Millicent entered Muffy's bedroom and took her spot at the computer. Muffy sat in a nearby chair, sipping her exotic fruit juice just like the spoiled little princess she was, or at least she _thought_ she was. Millicent turned around, a frown on her face. She eyed Muffy with an expression the teen had never seen before, and she was concerned for her mother's well-being. She was about to ask about her condition when the downpour was released. Millicent was furious and Muffy had no idea why.

As a tabloid follower, Muffy wasn't actually concerned with real, actual news. If she was, she'd know her beloved father had been under fire for many months over concerns that he was doing inappropriate things to cars in order to make more money. One of those things included black market car parts, items that might not even be real. He'd used one of those parts in a used four-door sedan. He'd sold it to a family, and within a week, their car was at the bottom of a ravine, all four occupants—including a very small toddler—were all dead, and it was on Ed Crosswire's shoulders.

Like her father, Muffy was a liar, using false things to get ahead. Millicent could see this without even reading the whole article, and she didn't see the comments either. She was speaking from the heart of a woman scorned by lies, a woman who might have to face a lifetime alone if her husband was arrested and charged—which he would be as soon as the district attorney had the right warrants. Millicent had no control over that, but she did have control over one person: Mary Alice Crosswire. And she wasn't about to let Muffy go down the same path as her father. She was going to teach her a lesson.

"Come on, we'll go see the school board member like you wanted," Millicent said calmly, ringing a small bell next to Muffy's desk. Bailey appeared almost out of thin air, and he easily prepared the family car for the trip. Muffy was silent through this entire ordeal. She had no idea what her mother was planning, but she could sense this wouldn't be good for her.

The board member's office was downtown. By day, he was a real estate salesman and a stock broker, two things his parents loved the most. He'd combined their careers and their passion for education into himself, the one perfect offspring of two very good people. He looked angelic as he sat in his custom-made leather chair, his hand working a very nice fountain pen as the two ladies entered his office. He looked up, the sunlight from the setting sun casting an aura around him. Muffy half-expected angels to begin singing as they took a seat in front of his desk.

"What brings you here today, Millicent?" he questioned, eying Muffy carefully. He didn't let on anything, but as Millicent explained the situation and passed off her device to him—a small tablet lit up with Fern's article—Muffy could sense that something was very, _very_ wrong with this situation. He looked up to her and smiled, "So, you want these people tried for slander? For bullying? For anything that can prove they wronged you?"

Muffy smiled, "Yes! They're such horrible people. Believe me, you've never known-"

"Silence," he said firmly, passing Millicent her tablet. Millicent slid it into her purse, her eyes on the custom wood desk in front of them. Her eyes were fixed on the wood grain as he continued, "Yes, these girls said horrible things about you, and I can see how this might look like slander to the untrained eye, but this is what's called a viral post. You might not have seen this on your trip over here, but thousands in the area have read this article, maybe even a few hundred outside of this area if Fern has friends there.

"And I can assure you, Muffy, she has allies, more allies than you ever will. Numerous other witnesses have come forward to say they overheard your vile conversations, and they are supporting Fern this very moment. You, Mary Alice Crosswire, are the one who should be disgusted by your actions. I am a very good friend of Doria Walters, and her daughter and I are very close. We've already discussed trying you for bullying, and I don't think I have to remind you that that is a _serious_ crime in this day and age."

"What?!" Muffy cried.

"Exactly," Millicent nodded. "File them on her behalf, and please, make sure my daughter learns her lesson about lying. My husband is already facing decades of prison time for his wrong doings. I'd hate for her to eventually join them."

Muffy's fate was set, and it was very bleak. The charges were really minimal. No one knew exactly what she said, so she only received two weeks of suspension mixed in with some community service.

The real punishment was her social status. Jasmine had already ousted her, but it wasn't long before everyone else followed suit. Muffy was unwanted in that community, and many made it known. Anyone who felt it was their job to go after others just because of their social interactions was everyone's enemy. And in the end, Fern and Buster were happy with each other. Even if Muffy's ploys had been successful, Buster never wanted to be with a girl like Muffy. She was too much of a 'royal bitch,' as many now called her. He and everyone else were happy to see her leave for a private academy at the end of the school year. They just hoped for her new school's sake that she'd learned her lesson, but they doubted she had.

~End


End file.
